|
Area educators and business leaders
look to catch the technology wave
FMEI meeting focuses on opportunities for local region
Tech Valley High School in East Greenbush and the American Micro
Devices (AMD) computer chip manufacturing plant in Malta are
exciting news for the Capital District, but what impact will
they have for the local area?
That was a question recently asked during a meeting of the
Fulton-Montgomery Education Initiative (FMEI) on Nov. 16 at the
Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES campus in Johnstown.
An economic and education boom for the Hudson Valley
 Guest
speaker David Rooney from Albany’s Center for Economic Growth
offered a broad overview of Tech Valley and its anticipated
impact on the Capital District economy. Slated to open in
September 2007, Tech Valley is patterned after 28 highly
successful technical high schools in the central and western
United States—this school will be the first of its kind in the
East. Unlike a BOCES program where students split their day
between BOCES and their local high schools, students will attend
Tech Valley instead of their local high school. The program will
meet New York State Regents criteria, but will focus on using
technology tools to solve problems in a team environment. The
goal is to prepare students for basic technology jobs or for
continued education at a two-year or four-year college.
The presence of Tech Valley was a key factor in AMD’s recent
decision to build a computer chip manufacturing facility in
Malta, just south of Saratoga Springs. The $3.2 billion plant
will employ 700-950 people from the local area. Experts estimate
that the need for local suppliers and support industries will
swell those figures by an additional 2,000-3,000 people.
According to Rooney, Tech Valley represents a broad commitment
by the region to support the technology industries that local
communities are attempting to lure. The school is one small step
toward meeting the upcoming need for skilled workers.
Rooney admitted that Hamilton, Fulton and Montgomery counties
are not likely to reap significant gains from Tech Valley or the
AMD plant. Capital District students will fill all of Tech
Valley’s projected 400 enrollment slots. AMD will also draw the
majority of its skilled employees from the immediate area.
Opportunities for local region
Although the HFM region will not directly benefit from the
developments in the Hudson Valley, Rooney believes that now is
the time to take advantage of the technology wave. He suggested
that by using the Tech Valley High School Initiative as a model,
the area can springboard into a brighter future.
Trends indicate that local communities have a five-year window
of opportunity in which to prepare—to build infrastructure such
as services, highways, and utilities and to adapt education to
prepare students for technology careers.
Rooney suggested that the first step is to create a core of
local business and educators committed to a joint effort. He
explained that Capital Region BOCES, Questar BOCES, the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, the New York State legislature and
private industry worked cooperatively to pave the way for Tech
Valley High School.
“You have taken the first step with FMEI,” he said acknowledging
the group gathered around the conference table. FMEI is a
consortium of educators and local industry leaders working
together to improve the economic condition of the region.
Members include representatives from Fulton Montgomery Community
College, HFM BOCES, area industrial development agencies and the
superintendents of the 15 area school districts, along with the
directors of the area Chambers of Commerce.
“You also have a unique opportunity in the fact that you are the
only co-located community college and BOCES in the state,” he
added, referring to the newly completed HFM BOCES campus
adjacent to the FMCC campus.
He suggested that by modifying the HFM BOCES curriculum and
pairing it with curriculum at FMCC, the area could begin turning
out students with two-year technology degrees in the near
future. Those students could then enter the workplace or go on
to pursue four-year degrees. Rooney again stressed that success
will depend on an ability to focus on a clear objective.
“Working together, you can stake your own claim. You can play an
active role in mapping your own future,” he said.
Opportunities await those who are prepared
The FMEI meeting comes on the heels of an education summit held
earlier in November at high-tech information services company
MapInfo of East Greenbush. During the half-day session,
attendees listened to David Gibson, founder of X-Ray Optical
Systems, Inc. in East Greenbush, describe his company and his
perception of the future.
Gibson explained that his company is a world leader in x-ray
optics, components and analyzers. His firm incorporates new
technologies to create solutions for businesses and industries
in 22 countries around the globe.
His business relies on 80 people, each one with at least a high
school diploma. “Even the guy who loads trucks graduated from
high school,” he said. Assembly line workers have two-year
technology degrees; others have four-year engineering degrees.
Top company personnel have multiple degrees, often in science
and in business.
Although he could site his business anywhere in the world, he
chose East Greenbush for cultural, educational and personal
reasons. Locating locally, however, leaves him with the
challenge of finding skilled people. XOS recently hired four
engineers, two from the United States and two from foreign
countries. Gibson would have gladly hired only local applicants,
but a shortage of U.S. engineers left him no choice. Gibson
believes that finding educated, skilled employees who can work
as a team to solve problems is key to his company’s ability to
compete in a global economy.
The education summit focused on exploring the steps schools will
need to take to prepare students for this workplace. The
brainstorming meeting was part of Commissioner of Education
Richard P Mills’ P-16 Initiative, a commitment to focus
education from pre-school through college undergraduate degrees
to best prepare students for today’s career opportunities.
The next step
FMEI committed itself to the challenge of working cooperatively
as businesses and educators toward the mutual goal of improving
life in the region. The committee will meet again in the
immediate future to develop specific steps toward that goal.
For more information on FMEI, contact GASD Superintendent and
FMEI Chairman Ronald Limoncelli at (518) 843-5217 or HFM BOCES
Superintendent Dr. Geoffrey Davis at (518) 736-4300.
|
